Plastic bag with reinforced sides

ABSTRACT

A plastic bag includes a body having two sides. Each side of the body includes a corrugated portion having a layer unit with more than four layers. The load capacity of the plastic bag is increased due to reinforcement in structural strength at the sides by the corrugated portions. In preferred forms, the layer unit of each corrugated portion is interconnected to a bottom of the body. The layer unit of each corrugated portion has eight layers. The layer unit of each corrugated portion includes a recessed portion located inside of the body and having two sections contiguous to each other. Each section has four layers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a plastic bag and, more particularly, to a plastic bag with reinforced sides by corrugated portions.

Plastic bags are widely used in daily lives for various purposes including receiving articles, garbage, etc. The structural strength of plastic bags is often limited by their material in view of costs and, thus, has a limited load capacity. Although officially discouraged from the environmental and ecological aspects, use of plastic bags for carrying articles is inevitable.

FIG. 7 shows a conventional so-called T-shaped plastic bag 1 having a body 10 and two handles 11 extending upward from two ends of a top of the body 10, presenting a shape similar to a T-shirt. Each of two sides of the plastic bag 1 has a corrugated portion 12 extending inward and interconnected to one of the handles 11 and to a bottom of the body 10. The load imparted from the articles received in the plastic bag 1 to the bottom of the body 10 can be distributed to the corrugated portions 12. Each corrugated portion 12 generally includes a recessed section 121 formed in one of the sides of the body 10 and having a two-layer structure (a single fold). Thus, the body 10 has four layers including the recessed section 121. However, the load capacity of the plastic bag 1 is still limited, for the structural strength of the recessed section 121 having a single fold is not high enough.

Thus, a need exists for a plastic bag with reinforced sides for supporting purposes.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves this need and other problems in the field of plastic bag structure by providing, in a preferred form, a plastic bag including a body having two sides. Each side of the body includes a corrugated portion having a layer unit with more than four layers. The load capacity of the plastic bag is increased due to reinforcement in structural strength at the sides by the corrugated portions.

In preferred forms, the layer unit of each corrugated portion is interconnected to a bottom of the body. The layer unit of each corrugated portion has eight layers. The layer unit of each corrugated portion includes a recessed portion located inside of the body and having two sections contiguous to each other. Each section has four layers.

In a preferred form, each section has W-shaped cross sections. In another preferred form, each section includes a plurality of folds.

The present invention will become clearer in light of the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of this invention described in connection with the drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The illustrative embodiments may best be described by reference to the accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a plastic bag of a first embodiment according to the preferred teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the plastic bag of FIG. 1 cut along section line A-A of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2A shows an enlarged top view of a circled portion of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of a plastic bag of a second embodiment according to the preferred teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the plastic bag of FIG. 3 cut along section line B-B of FIG. 3.

FIG. 4A shows an enlarged top view of a circled portion of FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the plastic bag according to the preferred teachings of the present invention in use.

FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of a plastic bag of a third embodiment according to the preferred teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 6A shows an enlarged top view of a circled portion of FIG. 6.

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of a conventional plastic bag.

All figures are drawn for ease of explanation of the basic teachings of the present invention only; the extensions of the figures with respect to number, position, relationship, and dimensions of the parts to form the preferred embodiments will be explained or will be within the skill of the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood. Further, the exact dimensions and dimensional proportions to conform to specific force, weight, strength, and similar requirements will likewise be within the skill of the art after the following teachings of the present invention have been read and understood.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

With reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 2A, a plastic bag 2 according to the preferred teachings of the present invention can be utilized for shopping and for receiving articles, garbage, or any objects in daily lives. The plastic bag 2 includes a body 21 and two spaced handles 23 extending upward from two ends of a top of the body 21. It can be appreciated that the plastic bag 2 does not have to include the handles 23 if desired. A corrugated portion 22 is formed on each of two sides of the body 21 and includes a layer unit 221 having more than four layers.

The layer unit 221 of each corrugated portion 22 is interconnected to a bottom of the body 21 by such as pressing. Corrugation is formed on each of the sides of the body 21 along the line of pressing. In use, the sides of the body 21 may deform due to the sizes of the articles received in the body 21. However, the boy 21 is less likely to deform at the portion of adjacent the bottom. Thus, the structural strength of the boy 21 at the sides and the bottom is enhanced.

In the preferred form shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 2A, the layer unit 221 on each side of the body 21 includes eight layers. Namely, each layer unit 221 includes a recessed portion 222 located inside of the body 21 and having two sections 24 contiguous to each other. Each section 24 has four layers. It can be appreciated that each section 24 can have W-shaped cross sections.

In another preferred form shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 4A, the layer unit 222 on each side of the body 21 includes a recessed portion 222 located inside of the body 21 and having two sections 24 contiguous to each other. Each section 24 has four layers. Furthermore, the four layers 221 of each section 24 include a plurality of folds. The folds can be of many forms. In the preferred form shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 4A, the folds are adjacent an inner, larger portion of the section 24. In another preferred form shown in FIGS. 6 and 6A, the folds are adjacent an outer, larger portion of the section 24.

With reference to FIG. 5 showing use of the plastic bag 2 according to the preferred teachings of the present invention, since the corrugated portion 22 on each side of the body 21 includes a layer unit 221 having more than four layers, the sides of the body 21 of the plastic bag 2 according to the preferred teachings of the present invention are reinforced and, thus, have a larger load capacity compared to the conventional plastic bags. Furthermore, each corrugated portion 22 is interconnected to one of the handles 23 and the bottom of the body 21 to distribute the load imparted from the articles received in the plastic bag 2 to the bottom of the body 21.

Thus since the invention disclosed herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or general characteristics thereof, some of which forms have been indicated, the embodiments described herein are to be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the invention is to be indicated by the appended claims, rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein. 

1. A plastic bag comprising: a body including two sides each having a corrugated portion, with each of the corrugated portions including a layer unit having more than four layers.
 2. The plastic bag as claimed in claim 1, with the body further including a bottom, and with the layer unit of each of the corrugated portions interconnected to the bottom of the body.
 3. The plastic bag as claimed in claim 1, with the layer unit of each of the corrugated portions having eight layers.
 4. The plastic bag as claimed in claim 3, with the layer unit of each of the corrugated portions including a recessed portion located inside of the body and having two sections contiguous to each other, and with each of the two sections having four layers.
 5. The plastic bag as claimed in claim 4, with each of the two sections having W-shaped cross sections.
 6. The plastic bag as claimed in claim 3, with the layer unit of each of the corrugated portions including a recessed portion located inside of the body and having two sections contiguous to each other, with each of the two sections including four layers having a plurality of folds. 